Kanao Can't Communicate

•~chapter twenty: the class president's job~•

It was finally the end of yet another exhausting school day. However, Tanjiro wasn't even getting ready to go home...

Because he was slumped down face-first on his desk, depressed about all the work that his teachers and classmates had given him to finish. There were piles upon piles of papers that were stacked around his desk, and he had to finish working on them all because of his role as class Vice President.

Aoi was supposed to be absent from class for two or three days...so, as a result, all of her work had been shifted onto Tanjiro.

Urgh...why did Aoi~san have to be absent during this time? he thought sourly, as he picked up a piece of paper. I don't normally complain about schoolwork...but this...this amount of work is just way too much for me to even handle. How can Aoi~san even deal with this much work?

He was suddenly jolted out of his mental complaints by the soft clearing of a throat. He lifted his head off his desk and came face to face with the bright smile of a lilac-haired girl.

Tanjiro nearly leapt out of his seat because of the surprise that he felt.

"E-eh?!" he yelled out. But then, he realized who it was and he sighed, as his surprise had begun to wear off. It was one of his classmates, Tsuko Izumi.

"Ah...hello, Tsuko~san...do you have more work to give me?" Tanjiro muttered, unable to keep the exhaustion out of his voice.

"Sorry that I scared you, Tanjiro~san." she said. "I've been watching all the work that they've been giving you, and it honestly seemed like an overload. So I came to help you...and by the way, you can just call me by my first name."

Tanjiro nodded gratefully. "I'm thankful that you came over to help me, Izumi~san. But, don't you have your own work to do?"

"Oh, no. I finished all my things super quickly so that I could help you instead!" she exclaimed. "After all, class vice president is a pretty big job."

"It is...thanks again for helping me, Izumi~san." Tanjiro said, as Izumi picked up one of the bigger piles of papers. Izumi was a very reliable person, and her personality was similar to that of an older sister.

For the next few minutes, Izumi and Tanjiro worked casually on all the work, making easy conversation. When they were halfway done, however, they heard a little 'ahem' from behind them.

They turned around to see Kanao looking at them. She was fidgeting a little bit, and she held up a message in her notebook that asked, 'What are you two doing?'

"We're just finishing up my vice president work, Kanao~san." Tanjiro said. "Why don't you join us?"

Kanao nodded eagerly and quickly sat down in the desk right next to Tanjiro. Izumi's eyes widened in realization when Kanao snatched the seat next to Tanjiro as quickly as she could.

"Ah! I've just remembered that I have plans right now!" Izumi said, now leaping up from her seat. "I'll see you two tomorrow!"

She rushed out the door, leaving both Tanjiro and Kanao confused, and wondering...

╭────»»❀❀❀««────╮

The very next day after school, Tanjiro was slumped over his desk again, as his class had given him even more work to complete for the day.

"You have more work again, Tanjiro~san?" Izumi asked incredulously, as she walked over to him. "I'll help you again, but before we get started, let's go for a walk in the hallway."

"Okay...after all, I do need a break from all this work, Izumi~san." Tanjiro said, now getting up from his desk.

The two teenagers walked out into the hall. They both stayed silent at first, but then Izumi began to speak.